I have many fond memories of eating delicious Sri Lankan food during my travels to the country for work several years ago. The food was flavorful and delicious, somewhat like Indian food with spices and heat but also different. Despite how much I like Sri Lankan food, I never tried to make it at home until my friend Suprit made Sri Lankan jackfruit curry for me recently. Eating that jackfruit curry brought back so many memories and my love for the food. I immediately wanted to make Sri Lankan food at home but decided to start with a simple Sri Lankan Red Lentil Dal. Dal or Parippu as they call it, is a staple in Sri Lankan cuisine.
Of course, as an Indian I make a lot of different varieties of dal at home so what makes the Sri Lankan lentil dal different? I think the very basic difference is the addition of coconut milk to the cooked dal. It is just amazing what a difference coconut milk makes, and it adds so much creaminess and flavor to the dal. The addition of curry leaves is also something that adds a lot of different flavor to the Sri Lankan dal. I typically do not add curry leaves to my regular Indian style dal.
About Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka is a small island nation at the southern tip of India. Because of its unique shape, it is known as “the teardrop” of India. Due to its proximity to India, there are a lot of food influences. Sri Lankan food is rich in spices and very similar to Indian food. I find the Sri Lankan curries to be a bit more fiery than their Indian counter parts; but I am not a timid eater so don’t mind that at all! Being an island nation, coconut, rice and tropical fruits and veggies are the building blocks of Sri Lankan cuisine. Hoppers (rice pancakes) and String Hoppers (rice noodles) are typically eaten with the curries.
Ingredients used to make Sri Lankan Red Lentil Dal
Red split lentil- Also called split masoor dal in Hindi.
For this recipe and for cooking all the split lentils, I always like to soak the lentils for ½ to 1 hour. But if you are short on time, you can skip that part. Increase the cooking time to 10 minutes in the Instant Pot (recipe card has 8 minutes with the soaking). Always wash the lentils well in water till the water runs almost clear.
Coconut Milk – This is the one ingredient that sets it apart from the Indian dal and makes it luscious and dreamy. I use full fat coconut milk from a can. You could use light coconut milk but of course it would alter the taste slightly. DO NOT use coconut water or coconut milk in refrigerator section available as a dairy replacement to drink.
Curry Leaves– Curry leaves are available at most South Asian/Indian stores. They are packed with fragrance and make a huge difference to the final taste of the dishes they are used in. Curry leaves are widely used in South Indian and Gujarati cooking of India but not as much in North Indian cooking. For the preparation of this dal, curry leaves are used generously.
Spices– Warming spices like fresh ginger, garlic, turmeric, coriander, and red chili powder are used in the dal. These spices are easily available at any neighborhood South Asian/Indian grocery stores or even regular grocery stores. But, if you do not want to invest in buying 5-6 different bottles of spices, you can just as easily substitute it with 1 ½ tablespoons of curry powder. It will provide great flavor to the dal.
Cooking the dal in the Instant Pot:
For this recipe I have cooked the dal in the Instant Pot. Its my preferred way of cooking these days. I find it hands off and it removes a lot of the guess work out of cooking. But if you do not own an Instant Pot, you can just as easily pressure cook the dal in a manual Pressure Cooker. Follow the same steps in the recipe card and once the lid of the pressure cooker is closed and the whistle is on, cook it on medium flame for 3 whistles.
Alternative method of cooking the Dal on Stovetop
If you do not own an Instant Pot, do not worry, this recipe can easily be made on the Stove top. Red lentil (split masoor dal) is easy to cook on the stove top as well.
Use a pot and follow the steps in the recipe card to the point of adding water. Increase the quantity of water to 2 cups. Turn up the heat and when the water comes to a boil, turn it back to medium and cover the pot with a lid. Cook the lentils until most of the water is absorbed and lentils are cooked through (check). This would take about 15-17 minutes. Add the coconut milk and 1/2 cup of water, stir to combine. Cover and let it simmer for 5 minutes. Follow the steps for tempering the dal in the recipe card below.
Serving and storing leftovers:
You can serve this Sri Lankan Red Lentil dal as an accompaniment to your Roti, Curry and Rice dinner. And honestly, it can be a great soup option also. A bowl of this Sri Lankan Red Lentil Dal soup is all you need on a cold winter night to feel comforted and warm.
Leftovers– Can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Re-heat in the microwave. Lentils thicken up as the cool down, so you will have to adjust the consistency of the dal by adding some water.
Key Features of Sri Lankan Red Lentil Dal:
Vegan and Gluten Free and packed with protein and good nutrients.
This recipe can easily be made Jain by omitting the onion and garlic used.
Instant Pot recipe. 10 minutes of preparation time and then Instant Pot does the rest.
Can be served with rice as a meal or as a soup.
You can easily double the recipe and leftovers heat up great in the microwave.
If you are looking for other quick and nutritious dal recipes cooked in the Instant Pot, try:
Sri Lankan Red Lentil Dal (Vegan and Gluten- Free)
Sri Lankan style dal with coconut milk
4
servings5
minutes30
minutesIngredients
1 cup Red lentil (split masoor dal)
1 tablespoon Cooking oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 Roma tomato, chopped
1 tablespoon grated garlic
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
2 Thai green chilies, slit lengthwise
8-10 curry leaves
1 teaspoon Red chili powder
2 teaspoon Coriander powder (dhaniya)
1/2 teaspoon Cumin powder (jeera)
1/2 teaspoon Turmeric powder (haldi)
1/2 cup Coconut milk (from a can)
2 cups Water, divided
salt
- Tempering
1 tablespoon Cooking oil
1 tablespoon Mustard seeds (Rai)
8-10 sprigs Curry leaves
3-4 Dry Red Chilies
Method
- Wash the dal a few times till the water runs clear. Soak the dal in water for ½- 1 hour.
- Turn on the IP on saute mode. When heated add oil and chopped onions. Cook the onions stirring occasionally for 2-3 minutes. Add curry leaves, grated ginger, garlic, coriander powder, turmeric powder, red chili powder and cumin powder and stir. Add the chopped tomatoes and cook for 2-3 more minutes.
- Cancel out of the saute mode. Add the drained dal and 1 ½ cups water to the cooked onions and tomatoes. Give the whole mix a good stir. Put the lid of the Instant Pot on and make sure that the valve is on sealing. Manual cook on High for 8 minutes.
- Once the cooking process is complete and the Instant Pot beeps, carefully Quick Release the pressure by turning the valve towards venting. It will take a few minutes for all the pressure to release, about 5-6 minutes. Once the pressure is released, carefully open the lid.
- The Instant Pot will have gone to Warming mode. Cancel out of it and turn it back on Saute mode. Stir in the coconut milk and additional 1/2 cup water if need to adjust the consistency and and cook for 2 minutes.
- While the dal is boiling in the Instant Pot, prepare the tempering. In a small pan, heat the oil and add mustard seeds, curry leaves and broken dried red chilies. Cook until the mustard seeds start to splutter. Pour the tempering to the cooked dal in the Instant Pot and stir.
Sri Lankan Red Lentil dal is ready to be served with rice, rotis or parathas.
Recipe Video
Tips
- The Cooking time of 30 minutes includes the time to saute the onion and tomatoes initially, the time it takes the Instant Pot to come to pressure, actual pressure cook time and pressure release time.
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